Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has taken a swipe at former U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent comments about sending American troops to Nigeria.
Soyinka said the remarks showed a poor grasp of Nigeria’s long-standing security issues.
He spoke on Friday after a meeting with Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia in Makurdi.
The playwright explained that Nigeria’s crisis cannot be addressed by outsiders who fail to understand the factors driving the violence.
Soyinka faulted Trump for insisting he would “come to help” Nigeria without a proper study of the situation.
According to him, such talk is reckless and dismissive of those who have been dealing with the conflict for years.
“You don’t just open your mouth and say, ‘I’m coming to help you whether you like it or not… and I’m coming with violence from outside with poor, almost non-existent analysis of the complexities of where the problem is’,” he said.
He warned that bold declarations about arriving with force only create more tension.
“And you say, ‘I’m coming to help you, I’m coming with guns a-blazing’. And when we come in, ‘it’s going to be fast, vicious and swift’,” he added.
Soyinka repeated his long-held view that Nigeria’s troubles are driven by violent groups who exploit religion for advantage, not by faith itself.
He also stressed that governments must protect citizens while respecting victims.
“Is that the language of somebody whose head is correct? Any government has an obligation to ensure the welfare of its citizens. But, at least, have some respect for victims and those trying to find solutions to the unacceptable situation,” he said.
Trump had recently labelled Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged attacks on Christians.
He also threatened to deploy U.S. forces if the killings continued.
The Federal Government dismissed the claim, insisting it does not reflect Nigeria’s true situation.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, U.S. lawmakers, religious figures and government officials offered different views at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing.
The session focused on Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”.